CULLOWHEE -- A standing-room-only crowd of more than 2,000 people watched and
listened Wednesday (Feb. 9) at Western Carolina University as acclaimed African-American actors
Danny Glover and Felix Justice became the living embodiment of the words of poet Langston
Hughes and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Glover and Justice performed their touring show "An Evening with Langston and Martin" in
Western's Ramsey Regional Activity Center as part of the Chancellor's Speaker Series and in
recognition of February as Black History Month.

The evening began with Justice taking the spotlight first. A stage veteran with more than
three decades of theatrical experience, Justice is best known for his portrayal of King. For the
program at Western, he selected a speech King delivered to his closest friends and supporters on his
final night on Earth in April 1964.

Justice, who prefaced his dramatic portrayal by calling King and Hughes "two American
prophets of great foresight and insight," received a standing ovation from an appreciative and
enthusiastic crowd. He then turned the stage over to Glover, who gave the audience a primer on the
life and words of Langston Hughes, "the poet laureate of the Negro people."

Glover, co-star of the popular "Lethal Weapons" film series and Emmy-nominated actor for
his work in the TV mini-series "Lonesome Dove," recited a variety of Hughes' works, including
samples from his syndicated newspaper columns and several well-known poems, sprinkling his
readings with facts about Hughes' life.

Justice later joined Glover on stage for a question-and-answer session, fielding questions on
topics ranging from Glover's friendship with movie star Mel Gibson to the two performers' thoughts
on the current controversy surrounding the flying of the Confederate battle flag above the South
Carolina Capitol.

At the conclusion of the program, the actors signed autographs and spoke with audience
members, including college students from Western and public school students from several Western North
Carolina counties. Later, Glover and Justice met with about 50 Western students at a small
reception for members of the Organization of Ebony Students and other groups affiliated with Black
History Month, and with students majoring in theatre arts.

The next guest in the Chancellor's Speaker Series is U.S. Sen. John Edwards, who will speak
at Western at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. The program will
include a question-and-answer session, and will be followed by a public reception. The event is free
of admission charge.

The inaugural year of the Chancellor's Speaker Series brought former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole to
campus in December 1998, and three major players in the effort to unlock the mysteries of the
human genetic code took part in an April 1999 symposium held under the auspices of the speaker
series. Nationally syndicated columnist Jane Bryant Quinn, the nation's leading commentator on
personal finance issues, opened the 1999-2000 series in October.

The series is designed to bring significant figures to campus to discuss major issues of the
day, and to provide WCU students with an opportunity to interact with some of the people who
shape and influence the world.

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Last modified: Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2000Copyright 2000 by Western Carolina University